Merchants in downtown Lisbon fear that a disruptive Christmas season caused by the housing protest camp could lead to business closures and job losses.
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The Lisbon Administrative Court ruled on Sunday 1 November that the midnight curfew for protests is not absolute, authorizing a demonstrator to stay overnight at Rossio with a tent until 24 November 2026. The Baixa Pombalina revitalization association expressed willingness to negotiate with protest representatives to balance the housing demonstration with a planned Christmas market scheduled for the same square from 13 November to 21 December. The court ruled that if coexistence is unfeasible, the Lisbon City Council must provide an alternative nearby location for the protest and ordered police not to disperse the demonstration.
A group of six jurists, consultants, and university professors has called on Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas to mediate urgently between housing protesters currently camped in Rossio and local merchants regarding the upcoming Christmas Market. The group suggests that if a relocation is necessary to accommodate the market, the city should propose an alternative site near Rossio that preserves the protest's visibility and symbolic importance, while urging protesters to negotiate in good faith.
The Rossio Christmas Market is scheduled to open on 13 November, while a court has authorized a housing protest camp in the same area until 24 November. Local merchants are expressing concern over potential economic losses and are calling for a compromise.